Cigarette case



July 3 1946- J. M. BEVERIDGE EI'AL CIGARETTE CASE Filed Aug. 9

Patented July 30, 1946 CIGARETTE CASE James Murray Beveridge, Bronxville, N. Y., and

Clifton J. Cowan,

East Orange, N. J., assignors to Mavco, Inc., a corporation of New York Application August 9, 1944, Serial No. 548,708

Claims.

1 The present invention relates to cigarette cases.

The standard pack of cigarettes contains twenty cigarettes, and the present invention is more especially directed toward a cigarette case adapted to be carried in the pocket or purse and contain all the cigarettes of a pack, so that all the cigarettes in the pack can be transferred to the case at one time and the original wrappings for the cigarettes discarded.

The present invention contemplates a cigarette case having provisions to receive each cigarette in a separate compartment and hold the cigarette in place until it is intentionally removed from its compartment.

According to the present invention the case provides individual protection for each and every cigarette, and there is no likelihood of the cigarettes accidentally falling out of the case when it is open, or of any cigarette being injured while another one is being removed.

According to the present invention the cig arette case employs two trays hingedly connected at one end and adapted to be closed to form a tight enclosure for all the cigarettes. Each tray is provided with ten pockets each adapted to receive a cigarette so that one-half the cigarettes in a pack are received in one half in the other tray. Each tray is arranged so that when the cigarettes are properly placed in it these cigarettes will not fall out, no matter in what position the tray is placed, and, as this condition obtains for both trays, all the cigarettes are held in the trays even when the case is open no matter in what position it happens to be held.

The cigarette case forming the subject matter of the present invention is preferably made of a clear, transparent, molded plastic material so that all the contents of the case may be readily seen without opening the case. Furthermore the use of such material provides an extremely attractive article of merchandise. The trays are held together by hinge pins of similar material and provided with cooperative catch elements so that the two trays may be held in closed position but readily opened to obtain access to the contents.

The present invention is characterized by extreme simplicity of construction and the minimum number of parts-merely two molded trays and a hinge pin. It is characterized by the absence of auxiliary retainers, hinges, springs and the like commonly employed in cigarette cases.

tray and the other 2 The cigarette retaining feature is accomplished solely by the contour given each molded tray.

The accompanying drawing shows, for purposes of illustrating the present invention, an embodiment in which the invention may take form, it being understood that the drawing is illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

In this drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the cigarette case;

Figure 2 is an end elevational View taken from the right of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational View taken in the direction of the arrow 3 of Figure l and showing in dotted lines one of the trays swung toward an open position;

Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views taken on the lines 44 and 5-5, respectively, of Figure 3, Figure 4 showing the upper tray of Figure 3 in full lines and the lower tray in dotted lines, while Figure 5 shows the upper tray of Figure 3 in dotted lines and the lower tray in full lines;

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 5-6 of Figure 2;

Figure '7 is a sectional view taken on the line 'Il of Figure 6; and

Figure 8 is a plan View showing both swung open and in horizontal position.

The cigarette case employs two trays l0 and H which for convenience in reference to the drawing may be respectively termed the lower or bottom tray and the upper or cover tray.

The lower tray Iii has a back or bottom wall l2, side walls l3 and I4 and end walls l5 and It. The side walls l3 and 54 are spaced a distance equal to the length of a cigarette. The tray 10 also has a top wall I! which extends a sustantial distance toward the wall l3.

As shown more clearly in Figures trays 3 and 6 this top wall consists of ten arches one of which starts near the left-hand wall l5. Halfway between the centers of these arches and extending all the way across the back or bottom l2 oi the tray, the tray has ridges it and where these ridges meet the top wall along the line l9, Figure the top walls and ridges are connected by webs ll so as to form cylindrical pockets 29. These pockets are of the right size to receive the end of the cigarette. as indicated at C Figure '7. The portion of the cigarette not received in the pockets 2% will lie between. corresponding adjacent ridges it! with its other end close to the opposite end wall 13, of the tray. Thus the tray Ill is able to receive ten cigarettes with their upper ends in the pockets 20.

The left end wall iii of the tray it supports a hinge lug 2|, and the right-hand end wall I6 is spaced beyond the right-hand pocket 29 and is provided with a projection 22 and finger-pieces The tray ii is generally similar to the tray i0, and for convenience it will be described as if in the open position shown in the dotted lines of Figure 3 and in full lines in Figure 8. When in this position it has a back or bottom wall 24, side walls 25 and 26 and end walls 27 and 28 similar to those of the other tray. The side wall 23 carries a top wall 29 similar to the top wall I! and forming a number of pockets 30 similar to the pockets 20. The tray H also has ridges 3| similar to the ridges is so that the tray member H is similarly able to receive ten cigarettes each with an end in a pocket 30.

In the tray ii the right-hand pocket 30, as viewed in Figure 3, is adjacent the right-hand end wall 23 so that the pockets Si] in the tray H when the case is closed are opposite the ridges !3 of the tray and the ridges 3i of tray ii are opposite the pockets 25. In this way the ci rettes are staggered lengthwise of the case and the exposed ends of the cigarettes in one tray are held between the arches forming the outer surface of the top wall H or 29 as the case may be of the other tray. Thus each cigarette is held against any movement whatever while the case is closed. The tray H is provided with hinge lugs 32, 32 and with a catch 33 cooperative with the lug 22.

As shown in Figures l, 5 and 7 the upper edges of the side walls 25 and i3 of the trays are stepped, as indicated at 34, while the upper edges of the walls i l and 25 are similarly stepped, as indicated at so as to provide a tight fitting joint between the tray members when they are in the closed position, thereby preventing the sifting out of particles of tobacco dust when the cigarette case is closed and providing a neat clean appearance to the sides of the case.

In order to economize in material and reduce the weight of the case the tray members are provided with V-shaped grooves 36 opposite the ridges I 8 and 3|.

To reduce the scratching and marring of the large fiat surfaces of the trays it is preferable to provide longitudinal ridges 37, 37, and these ridges may conveniently be placed opposite the ends of the top walls i? and 29 so as to mask imperfections, flow markings and the like which are likely to occur in the moulded article.

The cigarette case shown is susceptible of b ing manufactured by injection molding operations employing clear, transparent material, such as methyl methacrylate, so that the produst presents an excellent appearance. It is also a very convenient device to use and carries twenty cigarettes in a very small device. The case is somewhat Wider from hinge to clasp than ten cigarettes side by side, but is considerably thinner than would be required for a plastic case where the cigarettes were directly opposite one another. To load the case it is merely necessary to hold it in open position while ten cigarettes are loaded into one of the tray members with its pockets down, then the case is turned so that the other tray member is in position to have its pockets down and the remaining cigarettes loaded in place. There is no possibility of crushing or damaging any of the cigarettes or of losing the cigarettes during the subsequent opening and closing of the case.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other forms and constructions within the scope of the claims, we wish it to be understood that the particular form shown is but one of these forms, and various modifications and changes being possible, we do not otherwise limit ourselves in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A cigarette case consisting solely of two sub stantially similar trays each having ends and side walls and made of molded material, cooperative hinge means at one end of each tray, cooperative catch means at the other end of eacl. tray, each tray having side walls extending from one end to the other with an inside spacing equal to cigarette length, a back wall interconnecting the side walls, and a front wall extending from one side wall toward the other, the front wall comprising a series of arches and being interconnected with the opposed portions of the back wall by webs, the arches and webs forming a row of cylindrical pockets side by side adapted to receive the ends of cigarettes whose other ends reach the other side wall, the spacing of the centers of the pockets being substantially greater than the diameter of a cigarette so that the cigarettes in each tray are spaced from one another, the pockets of one tray being opposite the free ends of the cigarettes held in the pockets of the other tray and overlying them when the case is closed, the depth of the pockets being such that each pocket holds the received cigarette against the back wall and prevents unintentional dislodgment of the cigarettes from the opened case no matter in what position the opened case is held.

2. A cigarette case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pockets in one tray are spaced from the hinge so that the webs between pockets of one tray are opposite the center lines of the cigarettes in the other tray so that the free ends of the cigarettes are received between the arches of the other tray.

3. A cigarette case as in claim 1, wherein the back walls of the trays have ridges extending from between the pockets to the remote side wall which maintain the cigarettes parallel and space them to facilitate removal.

4. A cigarette case comprising two molded trays each having a back wall of an inside width equal to the length of a cigarette, side walls, an upper wall extending from one side wall part way to the end adjacent the other side wall, and means to hinge the trays together so that the upper wall of one tray is in line with the other side wall of the other tray, whereby when the trays are brought together to form a closed container the free ends of the cigarettes in one tray are engaged by the arched top wall of the other tray.

5. A cigarette case comprising two rectangular molded one piece trays hinged together at their may be spaced sidewise and the length of the tray that tray, the pockets in one tray overlying the bottom is substantially greater than required for exposed ends of the cigarettes in the other tray the same number of cigarettes side by side and in when the trays are closed, whereby the cigarettes contact, the ridges in one tray being spaced from are in staggered relation and the thickness of the the hinge the same distances as the middle of 5 closed case is less than would be required were the grooves between the ridges of the other tray, the cigarettes in one tray directly opposite those each tray having integral elements forming subin the other tray.

stantially cylindrical pockets adapted to receive JAMES MURRAY BEVERIDGE.

the ends only of cigarettes between the ridges of CLIFTON J. COWAN. 

